Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius (December 1, 1951 - September 21, 1987) was a jazz bassist who is notable for popularizing the fretless electric bass. He was immensely talented; many have gone so far as to say he was the greatest electric bassist ever to live.

Pastorius was born in Pennsylvania, but soon moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was raised. He played music throughout his youth, and in 1974, he began playing with his friend Pat Metheny[?]. In 1976, he was invited to join fusion band Weather Report, where he played alongside Joe Zawinul[?] and Wayne Shorter[?] until 1981. His first solo album was released in 1976 to generally good reviews. He toured with his Word of Mouth[?] Big Band from 1980 to 1984. However, in the mid-80s, he began to experience mental problems. These were worsened by heavy drug and alcohol use. He fell out of public favor and became an outcast in the music business. In 1987, he was beaten into a coma after an altercation with a bouncer at the Midnight Club[?] in Fort Lauderdale. He suffered irreversible brain damage and died on September 21, 1987. Miles Davis honored the late bassist in his Amandala album, recording the composition, Mr. Pastorius.

Albums

• 1974 Jaco (live)[?] DIW
• 1976 Jaco Pastorius Epic/Legacy
• 1981 The Birthday Concert (live)[?] Warner
• 1981 Word of Mouth[?] Warner
• 1983 Invitation (live)[?] Warner
• 1986 PDB DIW
• 1986 Live in Italy[?] Jazzpoint
• 1986 Jazz Street[?] Timeless
• 1986 Curtain Call (live)[?] Another Hit

Links

Jaco Pastorius (official site) (http://www.jacopastorius.com/)